Durabase conservatory base concrete pads

[AlwaysBestToAsk]

Hi all,

I've got a steel Durabase conservatory base to install and these require 5 concrete pads measuring 400mm x 400mm x 400mm for the steel base "feet" to sit on but on looking at a lot of you tube videos i've seen quite a few use concrete foundation blocks and then just fix them in place with ready mixed concrete as opposed to filling the entire hole with ready mixed concrete but given this will hold not only a 3m x 3m steel base it'll also hold the floor to ceiling windows and a flat roof are these ok to use ? the one's i've seen are only around 3Nm or up to about 7Nm strength bearing.

Anyone fitted these as a foundation at all as these seem a LOT cheaper (and easier) than pouring 0.5m3 of concrete in there ?

Thanks

 

[^woody^]

How is this cheaper? What is the cost for a 3x3m base?

The pads still need to be as deep as a traditional foundation. How long does the frame last before affected by rust? Is it BBA certified?

 

[Captain Nemesis]

If you really wanted to know the answers to those questions wouldnt it have been more efficient to look at the manufacturers site?

Were they real questions?

 

[charliegolf]

Hi all,


Anyone fitted these as a foundation at all as these seem a LOT cheaper (and easier) than pouring 0.5m3 of concrete in there ?

Thanks

As opposed to 0.32 cu m. That diff will be lost in the transport.

 

[kingandy2nd]

I’ve got a durabase on my conservatory.

I recall seeing videos of them being built into existing patios, etc but like anything it depends on the ground conditions and how well the original patio was done. I wouldn’t recommend going down the concrete block route personally.

From memory the pads have to be 450mm concrete cubes but personally I just did a 500mm x 500mm strip foundation. It’s not that much effort to do the pads so I’d strongly recommend doing it in line with the manufacturers recommendations.

@^woody^ these come with a 25 year manufacturer guarantee (mine didn’t as it was 2nd hand). The plus points are the ease of construction and you get a steel framed wall with cement boards for brick slips to be fixed to on top of the base - so you end up with a conny with a dwarf wall base without needing any brickwork laid - so handy for the diyer

A lot of the brick slips on mine didn’t survive being dismantled and rebuilt at mine so I ended up rendering over them.

 

[Notch7]

’ve got a durabase on my conservatory

Lovely neat job

 

[AlwaysBestToAsk]

Yeah...thanks all....when i said cheaper i meant the cost of the concrete blocks vs the equivalent in ready mixed concrete and as the blocks were a LOT cheaper i just wondered if this was because they were not as structurally sound as i did look at the ready mixed (which we'd need about 50 bags of by my calculations) which has a supporting force of 40Nm but these blocks come in 3Nm and 7Nm usually so it seemed a MASSIVE difference. The benefit of the steel base is that there's less mess with less digging and it's easy to re-instate the ground should we decide to remove it in a few years to get more of the garden back (i.e when the kids leave home) and also we can then re-sell it to people like Kingandy2nd (like the idea of decking around it by the way) but i've never done anything as regards to footings or pads apart from small shed like projects and i've been trying to work out the rough cost of either the blocks, ready mixed bags, ready mixed from a truck or separate bags but even if i go onto the ready mixed sites (i.e delivered via a truck and we wheelbarrow it) they range from like £80 per m3 up to £800 so i'm not confident i'm looking at this right ? I have calculated that with 5 pads at 450mm that in total it will be about 0.5m3 so is that right to begin with and if so what am i looking at as a "rough" cost for either Truck, Ready Mixed or Bulk separates ? I know there will be a difference depending where we get it from and where we live (Nottingham by the way) but £800 is a world away from £80 ?

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks

 

[AlwaysBestToAsk]

and yes...i've spoken to the manufacturer and they can only give me the sizes of the footing holes that need to be filled with concrete...after that then it's up to me (i'm guessing as they don't want to be liable should the footings give way), they only supply the base. They HAVE given me a pad diagram but again this just shows where the pads need to be and the size/depth

 

[kingandy2nd]

For 5 pads, I would just be mixing myself.

I can’t imagine it would need that much material...but I’ve not done any calcs for you situation.

A ton bag of ballast, a few bags of cement, wheelbarrow and hire a cement mixer for a day. Jobs a goodun.

 

[AlwaysBestToAsk]

Thanks, i've no problem with that so i'll work it out with mixing it myself.

Just got to persuade the wife in lending me her wheelbarrow......that's the hardest job

 

[kingandy2nd]

Thanks, i've no problem with that so i'll work it out with mixing it myself.

Just got to persuade the wife in lending me her wheelbarrow......that's the hardest job

youll save a lot if you’re willing to do the mixing yourself

also buy another wheelbarrow, less hassle than the nagging you’ll get for ruining her one...trust me

 

[AlwaysBestToAsk]

Yes...no problem in putting the work in, i'll calculate what i'll need mix-wise and get a new wheelbarrow but better make sure i don't get one better than hers though

Thanks for that

 

[^woody^]

If you really wanted to know the answers to those questions wouldnt it have been more efficient to look at the manufacturers site?

Were they real questions?

Oh here we go

Ok big nose ....

Where are the costs on the manufacturer's site?
Where are the costs for the OPs comparison to confirm "they seem a lot cheaper"?

Where on the manufacturer's site does it give information about the frame rusting?
Note: this is separate to any warranty

Where on the manufacturers site is the BBA certificate?

 

[Old Salt]

I followed the manufacturers instructions and probably used about 5 bags of cement. As far as I know its still standing.

 

[kingandy2nd]

Yes...no problem in putting the work in, i'll calculate what i'll need mix-wise and get a new wheelbarrow but better make sure i don't get one better than hers though

Thanks for that

Buy her a new one for christmas, then use her old one. Win Win